


Safe Haven

by blaynerachelle



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Billy Hargrove Needs a Hug, Blood and Injury, Character Growth, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Major Original Character(s), OOC Actions, Original Character(s), Relationship(s), Season 2 Fix it, Season 3 Fix it, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Teen Romance, loving relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-07-19 18:08:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19978312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blaynerachelle/pseuds/blaynerachelle
Summary: Billy Hargrove moves in across the street from Piper Callahan. A mysterious girl with a sordid past, deeply rooted in Hawkins. When Billy needs a safe place to land he ends up at Piper’s house and slowly learns of all the strange things that go on in Hawkins.





	1. Chapter 1

The town of Hawkins, Indiana was always a bit peculiar. Strange things always seemed to happen there and they got stranger every day. This story begins in October of 1967. That’s when I was born. My mother was a scientist and researcher in a very top secret government lab that was housed in Hawkins. Cherie Lindell was her name, she and her sister, Diane, grew up in Hawkins. My father's name was Jeff Callahan and he went to school with my mother. And they were different as different could be. My mother was a science nerd, anti-social and completely lost in her own world. My father played football, and was incredibly mechanically inclined and took auto shop basically every period his senior year, or so I’m told. But somehow they found their way to each other and managed to form a strong relationship and managed to keep that going while my mother was away getting her degree and my father stayed in Hawkins growing his auto shop and becoming a pillar of the community and all that. By the time my mother graduated and secured her government job, my father had bought a two story house with a white picket fence for the two of them to grow into together. Not long after they were married and I was on the way. That’s when things began to get a bit dicey.  
The project that my mother was working on was so top secret, so secret that not even my father knew. But the lab was working on human experimentation working to develop mental and psychic abilities. My mother allowed herself to be experimented on while she was pregnant with me. And that is how I, Piper Callahan, was born with some scary abilities. To be exact telekinesis and empathic tendencies. As a child I Thought it was normal. I thought every other child could do the things that I could and I never questioned why I was homeschooled and the only places I ever went, were to my aunt Diane’s and uncle Jim’s house, and my moms lab. And that's when the bad thing happened. I was seven years old, I didn’t have good control of my abilities and I was throwing a tantrum. A big one. Things flying around the room and a side table hit my daddy in the back of the head. After that I spent a lot of time alone. And then Diane and Jim convinced my mother to put me into the public school system. My powers seemed to be gone after the bad thing. Or so I let everyone believe. The only people that knew were my mother and the doctors at the lab. They were stupid and easy enough to convince. I grew and had a relatively normal childhood and a normal adolescence. A rough transition through puberty and all that good stuff. I mourned the death of my cousin and watched my aunt and uncle's marriage fall apart. My aunt moved away from Hawkins and got remarried. We didn’t talk much. My mother went off the deep end and almost never came home. I found solace in my uncle. Uncle Hop as I so affectionately called him. He was the chief of police. He knew of my abilities and believed they were gone. I never wanted anyone else to know about me ever again. We spent a lot of time together and I took care of him more than he took care of me. I had plenty of friends at school. I was a floater and liked by almost everyone. Nancy, Steve, Barb, Jonathan and many others. I was intelligent, athletic, artistic, good with cars like my dad. I became someone that I like. And then the next bad thing happened.  
The disappearance of Will Beyers. A tragedy felt by almost everyone in the community. And at the same time I felt another presence in town. A familiar one but I couldn’t place it. A lot of crazy things happened. Monsters sneaking their way around town. Mysterious disappearances. My friend Barb, taken into what seven year old me called “the scary place.” And then with a series of insane events Nancy, Jonathan and I ended up meeting up with Nancy’s brother and his friends. And the familiar presence. She was eleven. I had been number one. Soul sisters in a project that should have never existed. She was untrusting and skittish. She could barely speak in coherent thoughts. She must have been kept in almost total isolation. Focusing on growing her powers. She was younger than me. Younger than Mike and the other kids. Maybe twelve. I didn’t want to reveal my powers I didn’t want anyone to know. But I pulled her aside and i showed her the number on my arm as well. She touched it with her fingers, then my face, “Sister,” she said and smiled, “Pretty.”  
“Sister,” I repeated. “You’ll keep my secret?” I asked her.  
She looked confused.  
“I can’t do it anymore. I’m broken. No one but you knows.” I said to her.  
“Sisters keep secrets.” She said determined. 

We found will. Saved the day. Defeated the bad guys and all that jazz. After the commotion eleven disappeared. I told Uncle Hop everything. And together we were able to find eleven in the woods and she came with us. Hop had a cabin in the middle of the woods. Almost no one knew about it and we knew she would be safe there. As time went on I began to let El in on the secret that I still had my powers and made her promise not to tell anyone. It was dangerous for all parties involved if anyone found out about my abilities. Together we worked on controlling and growing our gifts and Hop was happy we had each other. And I was happy that she had Hop. I loved El and she adored me right back. Things looked like they were going to be ok.  
I hadn’t seen my mother in over a week. She hadn’t come home from her lab and I was sure at this point she had her own apartments deep within the sub levels. Across the street a moving truck pulled into the driveway of a previously vacant house. After that a station wagon and a sexy ass blue Camaro. I was sitting on the couch in my living room, not even trying to pretend to not be staring at the car. And the boy that got out of the car was just as sexy. From his boots up to the ass hugging jeans. To the button up lazily tucked in and the leather jacket. And god the hair on that boy. He saw me looking and I didn’t even care. He raised an eyebrow and cockily smiled at me and gave a little wave. I didn’t return any of the gestures but hopped off the couch, ran upstairs to my room and put on my own ass hugging jeans, a black Harley t shirt, my chucks and looked at myself in the mirror. Delicious. I thought to myself. I had quite a reputation around town that I did thoroughly enjoy. Everyone said I reminded them of Stevie Nicks if she had dark hair. So if mother Stevie was the white witch then i was the Black witch. My skin was very fair, and my hair was a stark contrast, it was nearly black and my eyes were electric green. I was incredibly petite but my small stature was nothing in comparison to my aura. I won’t lie, I used my telekinesis to make my hair float about and make me appear lighter on my feet. I flittered down into the kitchen and thanked the almighty that i had the gumption to bake cookies earlier that morning. I piled the chocolate chunk cookies onto a plate and headed out my door and across the street. The first person I met was the daughter, “Welcome to the neighborhood neighbor, I’m Piper.” I offered her a cookie which she took.  
“I’m Max.” There was rustling behind her, she turned around and saw the guy I watched get out of the Camaro earlier. “That’s my brother, Billy. Or Jackass, whichever suits you better.” She said just before turning around to carry another box inside the house.  
“Cute kid, you must be the luckiest big brother ever. Would you like a cookie, Jackass, was it?” I joked.  
He clenched his jaw briefly and then cracked a smile, “I think Billy will do just fine beautiful.” He said snatching a cookie from me. I held my hand out for him to shake and when his skin touched mine I felt a powerful emotion practically kick me in the stomach. Suffering, pain, loneliness, sadness, anger. Violent rage. Lust, insecurity. A lot to unpack for sure. I didn’t know what could cause so much pain in someone the same age as me, save for my own experiences. A cold and steely voice broke our eye contact.  
“Can I help you?” The man said. I assumed Billy and Max’s father. Quite the unpleasant man. I immediately noticed that when he approached Billy seemed to shrink. He seemed smaller, eyes cast to the ground. I immediately didn’t like him. “Hi, its nice to meet you. My mom and I live across the street. I’m Piper Callahan, I brought you cookies.” I said as I held out my hand for him to shake. Again when the skin touched my hand, a gut punch of feeling. Primal rage mostly. And black and sticky evil. I understood so much more about Billy now. And I was worried for the rest of the family. His wife came around the truck and we went through the same process. I got almost nothing from her. She was almost like the shell of someone who used to be a person. She took the cookies and disappeared into the house. Her husband soon after her. Max reappeared from around the backside of the truck. I said to her, “It was real nice meeting you Max, I live mostly alone over there, my mom works a lot, if you ever need anything, girl time, a sleepover, a ride to school, just come over ok? My car is cooler than your brothers by far. And my motorcycle is even cooler than that.” She smiled at me and thanked me before disappearing again with another box.  
“That was awful nice of you,” Billy said quite flirtily. “Thanks for stopping by. Will I be seeing you around school?”  
“You’ll be seeing me, Billy.” I said, gently flirting back at him. I had a rule, I wasn’t going to ever get close to anyone. I didn’t want another bad thing happening. I couldn’t bear to know that I hurt someone else close to me again. But god damn was he a specimen. And there was no shame in some harmless flirting. “Will you let me see the insides of that beautiful beast you have down there?” I said motioning to his car.  
“I think that might be a little out of your league princess.” He said.  
“Oh sugar, I bet you I know more about it than you do. I have a ‘69 impala up in the garage and my dad was a mechanic. He died when I was seven but I inherited the talent from him. The guy that owns his shop now is great, I work there on weekends and in the summer. Pop the hood?” He looked behind him quickly and walked down the slope to the road. He opened the door and popped the hood. I opened it and looked inside. I whistled. It was a gorgeous and nearly immaculate block. But it looked like his ignition cable was a little loose. “You ever have problems starting her up? Mostly just when its cold?” I asked him.  
“How’d you know?” He asked actually surprised that I seemed to know what I was talking about.  
“Come here I’ll show you.” When he came around the front I pointed to the cable. “You see the screw you have securing the ignition cable? It’s the wrong size and its not attached properly. Which isn’t really that big of a deal, but when its cold and the metal shrinks up the connections aren’t as good. So it's a little harder to start. Bring it up the driveway later and I can fix that for you.”  
“I don’t know...were kind of busy unpacking and all. Neil might not let me.”  
I reached up and stroked his cheek, a spark of softness beifely shot through him. I could feel it. It made me wonder how long it had been since he had had any true compassionate human interaction. I’m sure he was having physical contact on the regular of the good and not so good variety. But something so gentle and kind, I wasn’t sure about. He seemed a troubled person but something in him sparked something in me and I knew in my heart I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try and show him some compassion and genuine human contact.  
“I get it, its ok Billy. Same goes for you by the way. If you ever need anything, a ride to school, some girl time, a sleepover,” I paused and became a bit more somber when I said, “somewhere safe, to escape too. I’ve got the space and I don’t like being alone all the time. So really you’d be doing me a favor.”  
I didn’t let him respond before sauntering back off to my side of the street, swinging my hips back and forth the entire way. Before I walked back inside the house I turned around, Billy was still looking at me. I wiggled my fingers at him before spinning around again and walking inside and shutting the door behind me. I was worried. I’d hardly met the family, but I knew that things were off. I knew that BIlly was going to be trouble, that he was trouble. I knew the kind of guy he was. Hard on the outside to hide the sadness that was inside him. Taking it out on other people. I was going to have to watch out for that. I was going to have to be careful not to get to close. None of the boys in Hawkins could ever tempt me like I knew that one out there could do. But that wasn’t the thing I was worried about the most. I was worried about that little girl, Max. The same age as El. I was worried she would be the next punching bag for Mr. Hargrove.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn more about Piper and get the first major Piper/Billy interaction

The next morning I was getting ready for school, my typical morning routine. Since my mother hardly ever graced the house with her presence enough I rearranged it to how I wanted it to be. My things were in the master bedroom. Large, with a walk in closet, huge bathroom, and a balcony that opened out onto the side yard with a view of the front yard as well. I had the French doors open because it was so sunny and warm still. It was getting later and later in the year and I wanted to soak up as much of the sunshine as I could. I curled my hair away from my face and made it big, but sleek. I couldn’t stand the frizzy way the other girls curled their hair. I liked the seventies vibe much more myself. I pulled on my high waisted Levi’s and a Harley shirt. Over that my riding boots, leather jacket. And grabbed a banana to eat before I headed off to school. I slung my backpack over my shoulders zipped up my jacket and headed out the front door. Since it was one of the last sunny days of the year I decided to take the Harley to school for one last time before I couldn’t ride it again until spring. I locked up the house, mentally prepared to see my mother when I got home from school since it was nearing the end of the month and I knew she’d be coming around soon to get all of the bills taken care of. And walked over to the garage. I opened the door and backed the Harley into the driveway. After I shut the garage and locked it I noticed a pair of eyes watching me. 

Billy was leaning on the hood of his car, and when he caught my eye he tilted his head back and hollered “Max, your gonna make me late. Hurry your ass up gremlin.” 

I had to laugh a little bit as I was putting on my helmet. I left my hair loose so it would fly around in the wind behind me. I knew Max probably was always so annoyed with her brother but because of my abilities I knew the inside of his head maybe better than he did. He loved her. He felt so protective of her. And I’m sure that the reason he never let that on was because he had a terrible dad. I was sure he slapped Billy around probably more than just a little, and his dad probably didn’t touch Max since it seemed as though Billy didn’t like her it was more of a punishment for his son to punish him for the things his daughter did as well. I knew I was going to have to call Hop and clue him in. I wasn’t sure if there was anything he could do. But I felt the need to protect my new neighbors. 

I started the bike and revved it and watched Billy smirk up at me. And with that I flew out of the driveway and sped off to school. Today was going to be interesting and I knew it. I pulled into the lot and waited about five minutes before I decided to go inside. And then I heard it. The roar of the blue Camero and I decided I wanted to make a show for the girls in the parking lot. He pulled the car into the spot directly next to me and roared the engine purposely and smirked at me through the passenger window. 

As he stepped out of the car in his ass hugging jeans, and a half done up button up lazily tucked in. He looked at me and said “Damn princess, its my first day and you’re really trying to show me up? How am I going to get any tail in this town if everyone and their sister is paying attention to how badly you drive that thing.” 

I laughed to myself as I slide out of the seat and hooked the straps of my helmet around my wrist. I walked up to him and patted my hand on his bare chest, a wave of emotions hit me again but I did my best to shake it off and I got really close to his face and said, “Try all you want Hargrove, this is my town and I doubt you’ll be able to make me look bad.” You could have cut the sexual tension with a knife. It was an entirely new situation for me. I hadn’t ever felt drawn to anyone before. I left my face mere inches from his for a long moment. I knew everyone in the parking lot was staring at us. I could feel pairs of eyes burning holes into the two of us. Girls wondering who the new hot boy was, boys wondering how I knew the new kid and being jealous it wasn’t them. I could tell he wanted to try and kiss me. He head twitched in my direction multiple times before I pulled away from him. 

I did it quickly. Pulled my face away, pulled my hand away slightly slower, letting my fingers linger on his chest, being tickled by his chest hair. I didn’t turn as I walked away and I heard him shout behind me, “Oh come on darling, I hate it when you leave!”

I raised my hand in the air and gave him the finger. And shouted back, “Enjoy the view, Hargrove. It’s above your pay grade.” 

As I walked away I felt like I had an emotional hangover. Something had happened to him last night. And it had darkened him more than the last time I had touched him. Increasing my worry. I had to remember to get to the pay phone at lunchtime. 

*Several Weeks Later*

It was a friday night and I was getting home late. I had been out with Nancy, Jonathan and Steve at the diner downtown. It was nearing midnight when I got home and the lights were still blazing across the street at the Hargrove house. After cutting the engine I heard muffled yelling and something shattering. Soon after that, doors slamming. I quietly slipped into my house and watched theirs from my bedroom window. A few minutes later all their lights went off one by one and things seemed to quiet down. When I felt slightly better about the possibility of anyone getting murdered next door I stripped off my clothes and slipped into an old oversized t-shirt and slid into my king sized bed. 

Not long after I had gotten comfortable I heard what sounded like someone rapping on the window of the kitchen door from the back porch. I hesitated a second, didn’t hear anything and I relaxed again. And as soon as I did I heard it again. I got out of bed and quickly ran down the stairs. Baseball bat in hand ready to beat the everloving shit out of whoever was pounding on my door at almost one in the morning. I wasn’t going to lie and say that I wasn’t afraid. With all the shit going around Hawkins these days you’d be stupid not to be afraid. Even if you did have witchy telekinetic powers. I got the bat ready and creeped through my dark kitchen and I flipped on the porch light. And what I saw standing there, terrified me. 

I immediately unlatched the door and dropped my bat. I flung it open, “Oh my god.” I wrapped my arms around him and got him inside and sitting at one of the chairs at the kitchen table. 

“Billy, is a formal enough title don’t you think. I mean come on Pipes, we haven’t even had sex yet.” He managed to get out. 

I rolled my eyes, “Well the sarcasm receptors are still functioning, that's a good sign at least. I’m going to go and get my first aid kit.” I hurried back up the stairs and into my bathroom. Got the first aid kit out of my medicine cabinet and threw on a pair of shapeless sweat pants for posterity's sake. I ran back downstairs and began sponging the drying blood off of Billy’s face and hands. He sat there in silence as Icleaned the canvas that his father painted. He had a cut across his cheek, a split lip, his nose was bleeding and his knuckles were pretty slashed up as well. After I had him all cleaned up I was able to assess the damage, while bad, could be patched up in my kitchen and wouldn't require a trip to the hospital. 

“What’s the prognosis, Nurse Callahan?” He asked, quietly, raspy. Like he’d been crying, silently. 

“Your nose isn’t broken thankfully.” I said spreading ointment around the cuts, preparing them for bandages. I remained quiet after the statement. 

“Look,” Billy started, “I just, I didn’t know where else to go. It seemed safe, and close by. And you know, you offered so…” he trailed off. Trying to make light of the situation but it didn’t really work so well. 

“You can always come here Billy. I wasn’t joking around when i said that. I can always get a feeling about people you know. Your father, he’s a man made of pure evil. I can’t explain how I know. I just do. I said as I touched his face with my palm. “You know, I’d really feel a lot better if you stayed over tonight.” I left the thought simply. Not giving him a reason why would hopefully make him feel like I wasn’t pitying him. 

“Sure thing, Princess.” The nickname made my skin crawl a little bit but it really rolled off his tongue. “But only if you let me sleep in your bed.”

“Well yeah obviously. You look like shit Hargrove, I wouldn't make my patient sleep on the couch. I’ll crash down here.” 

“Nice try Piper, only if you let me sleep in your bed with you.” He said looking me directly in the eye. 

I didn’t want to break eye contact. I had to show him that I was going to be the dominant one in the budding friendship. I doubted very much it was going to work but I at least had to try. “Fine, but only so I can make sure you don’t stop breathing in the middle of the night.” I stood up and started up the stairs. Billy following slowly behind me. When we got to my room I peeled off my sweats. I braced myself for the comments I knew were about to happen. “Listen, I’ve got two rules. Rule number one: No street clothes in my sheets, they’re clean. Shirt and jeans off. And rule number two: Hands to your damn self Hargrove.”

“Whatever you say doll face.” He unbuttoned his pants and slid him off, revealing his neon jockey shorts. He saw me eyeing them. “You can admire all you want.”

“It’s not that…” I started to say and then decided on, “I really just pictured you as more of a tighty whitey type of guy. Color me surprised.” I said crawling into bed. 

Billy started unbuttoning his shirt and with his back to me he said, “Look, I know that you think what you’ve seen so far is bad. But I’m just going to tell you...he threw me into the bookshelves in my room, I’m sure the bruises are looking pretty nasty by now. So just keep that in mind.”

“Ok,” I whispered back. 

“And I have some rules too,” he said as he slid off his shirt. 

“Ok,” I repeated again. Making sure not to remark at the deep purple spreading across his back. 

He slid into the bed next to me and said, “Rule number one: Don’t tell anyone about this ever. I don’t want anyone to know. And if anyone finds out that I spent the night over here I’ll tell them all that we fucked. And fucked hard. Got it? And rule number two: don’t ever address me by that last name again. I don’t want to have to be associated with him while I’m here. Like in the House.” 

I silently agreed to his rules. I looked over at him, settling himself in my bed and for a minute I let myself wonder what it might be like, to let myself go in his arms, and to kiss that mouth. To come home like this every day. It could be something wonderful. But after that minute was over I resigned myself to remember my rules. Alone I was safe. Alone, everyone else was safe too. I couldn’t let another bad thing happen. 

I shut off the lights and let myself get comfortable. My back to Billy, legs curled up to my stomach, and arms wrapped around my pillow. “Goodnight, Billy.” I whispered. 

“Goodnight.” He said as he slid down and settled in for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy gets sassy. Piper gets sassier.

I couldn’t sleep. I was afraid to move because I didn’t want to wake the sleeping boy next to me. But gradually inched my way from laying on my right side to my left side so I was facing the middle of the bed. When I finally got all the way over I was practically nose to nose with Billy. It was surreal to me. The first time I ever had a boy in my bed. And it wasn’t even for anything fun. It was just to make sure his dad couldn’t get to him. Laying there watching him sleep, he looked so peaceful. The hard expressions that normally masked his face were gone. Leaving only the soft face that shone in the moonlight with childlike innocence. It was at that moment I was sure, I’d do anything to make sure he was safe. He was an asshole, mean to his sister, kind of a pig when it came to women. But at the end of the day he was a kid. One who got wailed on by his dad. And while his past traumas didn’t excuse his behavior I could understand him a little better. And he was young, not yet fully exposed to the world. He could grow and change. And he should be given the opportunity. It was also at that moment that I knew I had to keep my feelings a secret. I didn’t want to get close enough to hurt him more than he was already hurting. And at the same time...after being at the school for less than a month he had already created quite the bad reputation for himself. A new date every night, going far beyond the flavor of the week, more like flavor of the day. And some days he sampled more than one flavor. I didn’t want to let myself get close enough to someone who would hurt me either. 

“Like what you’re staring at princess?” He said to me Without opening his eyes. 

“Fuck, Billy I thought you were asleep.” I said. I could tell I was blushing but thanking the universe for the cover of a decently dark bedroom. 

“It’s hard to sleep when a creep is staring at you.” He said with a small laugh. 

I decided to be bold. “I just think you’re pretty.” I said matter of factly. 

This got another chuckle from him, “No one’s ever called me pretty before. Not in a nice way anyways.” 

“Well I’m just stating a fact. Not an opinion so don’t let it go to your head sweetheart.” I said with a little more edge. 

“No need to get cranky. I know I interrupted your beauty sleep but do you realize how lucky you are? You know how many girls from Hawkins high would love for me to be sleeping over in their beds tonight.” He said. Flirting. I could hear it dripping off of his words. 

“It’s a shame you’re not with one of them then. You might be having a little more fun. And then at least the girl staring at you would be naked and you’d know each other intimately.” I snarked back to him. 

“Oh, is that jealousy I hear Pipes?” I was surprised I kept letting him call me that. The last person who had was my daddy. “You know there’s no reason to be jealous. I may not be acting like a one woman man right now. But that’s because the one woman in Hawkins who happens to be my equal won’t hardly give me the time of day.” 

“Really?” I asked. Then continued with, “Cause I hear Mrs. Wheeler really likes you. What with your curly hair, Adonis body and a deliciously tempting treasure trail.” 

That one caused quite the howl of laughter. And after that laughter some wincing, “Nah baby, it’s been you from day one. Everybody else is just me killing time until you think you can handle me.” 

“Haha you’re so funny Billy. You had better hope I don’t tell your hoes you said that. Now can we go to sleep. I have shit to do in the morning.” I said flipping back over onto my other side. And only made slight protests when I could feel him cozying in being me. Spooning me. And eventually an arm wrapped around my hips. I enjoyed it so I let him keep it there. 

The next morning I woke up as the sun was coming in through the glass French doors. I slid out of Billy’s arms that he had wrapped around me tightly all night and into the bathroom to get ready. I braided my hair back into two tight boxer braids. To keep them out of my face while I was at work. I tiptoed into my closet and threw on a sports bra, tank top and slid my coveralls up to my waist and secured them there by tying the arms in a knot around my waist. I also pulled out a Mötley crëw t shirt out of my drawer and left it on the bed for Billy. And when I went downstairs I took his bloodstained shirt from the night before and put it in with the laundry. I’d work on getting the blood out when I got home. I snuck out of my own house hoping not to wake him and ran off to work. 

I got to the garage just a few minutes before I was supposed to be there. It was still “Callahan’s auto” and I had sort of fibbed when I told billy about it. The owner still let me come in and work because I was the owner. My dad left the business to me and left running it in the hands of his always right hand man. The older I got the more time I spent there. Learning the trade and preparing to 100% run the business when I graduated. The business was doing well being the only shop in our town. The shop wasn’t the only thing my dad left me either. When he died, my mother found out he had taken out a life insurance policy. Leaving me as his only benefactor. Meaning when I turned 18 I would be fully in charge of his business and a decent amount of savings to start my future. 

Monday came too soon and I was still exhausted from the weekend. I had managed to get the blood out of Billy’s shirt. Originally I had planned on taking it to him but decided on something more cheeky instead. My outfit that day consisted of my normal billowing curly hair, some sultry makeup, yellow chuck Taylor’s, skintight denim and Billy’s button up, halfway buttoned and lazily tucked in. I zipped up my leather riding jacket over the top and grabbed my helmet and sped off to school. I left before Billy was even outside waiting for max that morning. 

I was standing by my locker when I heard someone walking up behind me. “Morning Pipes,” a deep rumbling voice said behind me. 

“Billy,” I simply replied.

He was hushed when he said, “Do you have my shirt? You know the one I-” he started to say as I faced him and unzipped my jacket slowly. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Billy.” I said so sweetly you could practically taste the syrup dripping out of my mouth. 

He smirked at me. And I could feel the two of us getting death glares from some of his hoes. Thy clearly all knew the shirt I was wearing was his. Every word we spoke our lips got closer and closer, almost touching, “You know what princess, you can hang onto it for a while. You look sexy wearing my clothes.”

“Thanks,” I said breathlessly before abruptly turning. Slamming my locker and walking off to class. Leaving his mouth hanging open and a hard on growing in his always tight jeans. And I felt pretty damn good about myself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was shorter, I’m sorry. The next will be longer!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right everyone, here’s the new chapter. I’m sorry if this one feels too out of character. I just really wanted some sweet and fluffy bits. Hope you still enjoy it.

Over the next couple months Billy and I silently grew our friendship. He became softer and I could tell, having someone care about him, really and truly giving a shit, was making a difference. He wasn’t getting in as many fights at school, he was actually showing up to school and from what Max had been telling me their relationship was going back to how it used to be before they left California. The thing that didn’t change though was the fact that Billy was still a womanizing trash king, but when he knocked on my back door in the middle of the night, and I ushered him inside to tend to his new battle wounds I forgot about it all. In those moments he was a little innocent boy, terrified of his angry father and I would do anything for him. I mean I would do anything for him most minutes out of the day. But who's counting, really.

It was the same routine. Knock, let him in, walk silently upstairs to my bathroom, clean him off, patch him up, get into bed, and he always wanted me to hold him. I was always the big spoon and I didnt mind. I kept urging him to go see Hop but every time he would just get angry at me. He didn’t want to do anything that would get Max left there without him. And I understood. One night I had Max and El over for a girl’s night. We were in the living room with all the curtains shut and lights off. Watching a scary movie I knew Hop would never let El watch. Then there was a rap at the door. The girls jumped. 

“Stop it, Max, I'm sure it’s just your brother.” I said getting out from under the blanket to go to the kitchen door. “Oh my god Billy.” I had never seen him that bad. His eye was swollen shut and purple already and he was leaning on the door jamb. I looped my arm under his shoulders and helped him into a chair by the table. “El, Max, first aid kit now please! I shouted at them.”

El ran up the stairs and Max stayed down in the kitchen with me. I hurried to the sink to wet down a clean towel with warm water. I walked over and pulled a chair closer to him so I could sit while I worked. I started with the top of his head. He stared past me the entire time. Every now and then would mumble, “You’re busy, I shouldn’t be here. I’m sorry. I’m such a fuck up.” He started crying. I waved Max and El out of the kitchen and I stood and I wrapped my arm gently around his head and held him close to me. 

“Shhh, baby,” I whispered. “You’re safe here. You know that. I love having you here. I get to feel useful and I get to take care of you.” 

He continued to sob. And Max came in. She pushed me out of the way to hug her brother too. “Billy, you’re such a jackass. But you’re my brother, and I do love you. Even if that is sometimes eclipsed by disdain. But you’re dad is going to kill you if you don’t do something.” 

He stopped crying and just blankly kept starting ahead of him. “Why don’t you guys finish the movies. I’m going to have him get in the shower. It’ll be faster. You know where we’ll be if you need us.” I said before helping Billy stand and help him up the stairs and into my room. I locked the door behind us and led him into the bathroom. I turned on the shower and grabbed him a clean towel and hung it over his towel rack by the shower door. I turned around and he was still standing in the same spot that I had left him in. I walked up to him and nestled myself underneath his chin and wrapped my arms around his body. After a moment, the tension left and he sank into the embrace. He wrapped his arms around mine and let out another broken sob. 

“I don't deserve you in my life.” He said through hitched breaths. “I’m a terrible person, I do terrible things, I treat people terribly. The only time I don’t is when I’m with you. And you don’t need that dragging you down. I ruin everything good.” 

I pulled back from him, “Knock that shit off right fucking now William Hargrove. Don’t you ever for one second put that all on yourself. I’m here for you Billy. And what’s important is that you can hold onto the things in your life that make you feel good, and safe and loved.” I said. I started unbuttoning his shirt and I pulled it off of him. “Do you need help with the rest?” I asked him hesitantly. He nodded. I couldn’t breathe. I knelt down and started unlacing the boots he was wearing. One by one he lifted his legs so I could take them and his socks off of his feet. I stood back up and stepped in close to him. I looked up and him and found his eyes looking back down at mine. Well, eye, with the one all swollen and all. “Billy…”

“Shhhhh,” he said, raising his hand under my chin, and brushing a thumb across my bottom lip. “It’s ok. I just… I don’t know what we are. When we’re together it feels like something, when I’m at home or at school, knowing your close by makes me feel some type of way. And I sleep, here, in your bed. But its not important to be all physical and whatever. It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t make a difference. It’s never been like this for me before. And you don’t get jealous, that I spend time with other women or if I fuck other women. So it makes me wonder, do you feel something too. And if you do why don’t you claim me? Publicly. As more than we do now. And I know it's because I’m a bad person.” He said casting his eyes away. 

“Billy no. I just- there’s so much that you don’t know about me. So much about my past, and my present. And My family. And you already have so much to worry about I don’t know how to talk about it with you. I just- all I ever think about it how I never want to leave this room when you and I are in it together. And I don’t care about the other women because you don’t belong to me and you’re allowed to do whatever you want. It doesn’t hurt either that I know when it comes down to it, when you need someone it's me you come to and not anyone else.” I paused. 

“I want to kiss you,” he said.

“Billy, I-“ I began. 

“I’m not going too. I just said that I wanted too. And I wanted you to know. Is that ok?” He asked. 

I nodded back at him and put my hands at his waist. I traced the tips of my fingers across his treasure trail and ended up at the button of his jeans. I unbuttoned them and slowly slid them off until he was standing in just his boxers in the middle of my bathroom. He looked down at me again questioning if I was going to go any farther. When I didn’t move anymore he spoke. 

“My turn. No, shhhh, baby it's ok. I just want to look at you. And I want to get into that shower with you. But that's all, I promise.” He said as I allowed him to pull of my shirt over my head revealing my white lace bra and he slid off my pajama pants that were now stained with blood. And we kept going until we were both naked enough to get into the now hot running water of the shower. 

In the shower we just stood there holding each other in our nakedness under the water for what felt like forever. I knew it hadn’t really been that long since we weren’t really pruney or anything like that. I reached for the shampoo bottle and poured a little in my hand and started massaging Billy’s head. He closed his eyes and we just enjoyed each other’s company. I helped wash the blood off of him and didn’t mind so much when his hands wandered around my body. Rubbing my shoulders, down my arms, tracing my collarbones, across my nipples. It was so sensual and intimate, but nowhere near the most intimate thing we had shared. But I liked it. 

“Billy,” I started to say.

“Shhhh, we can talk later, I just want to enjoy being here with you right now. Please.” He sounded like a little boy begging for fifteen minutes more time before he had to go to sleep. I didn’t protest but I just leaned into him. And we held each other until the hot water ran out. After we got out I pulled on an oversized Harley T-shirt and undies and waited for Billy to put on some of the clean clothes that he’d started leaving here. 

“I was going to have the girls sleep in here with me tonight.” I said. 

“I’m sorry for my timing. I really shouldn’t have come tonight.” He said feeling sorry for himself again. 

“I thought I told you to knock that shit off. I have a king sized bed and they’re tiny. We’ll all fit. And I swear to god if you try and leave I’ll never speak to you again.” I said matter of factly. 

He walked over to me and buried his face in my neck one last time and held me for a minute before I went downstairs, and for just a fraction of a second he let his lips linger on the tender spot of my neck and it sent the best kind of shiver down my spine. 

After a minute I left the room and went downstairs to find El and Max giggling on the couch. “Come on you two. It’s almost three. It’s time for bed.” I said giving my best parental tone. 

“Is he going to be ok?” Max asked, almost scared of the answer. 

“Yes. He’s going to be ok. He needs rest. Come on.” I said leading them up the stairs. “You guys can still sleep in here with me. Plenty of room for all four of us. And my mom's bed is garbage.” 

So we all walked into my room and the first thing Max did was throw her arms around Billy and just cried. Man was it a day of crying. 

“All right, shit bird. You're not hurt so no tears from you.” He said patting her on the back.

We all crawled into the bed. Me and Billy in the middle. Him the little spoon as usual, Max on the other side of Billy and El on the other side of me. One very strange family but we all fell asleep content.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning I woke up alone in bed. The only way I even knew that it had been full last night was the other blankets disturbed around me. And then I heard the banging of pots from the kitchen. I sat up and wrapped my arms around my torso and smiled. I loved having this house full of noise and laughter and happiness and love again. I didn’t feel so lonely all the goddamn time. I stretched and crawled out of the bed and walked downstairs to find my kitchen being dirtied by Billy and my two favorite girls making pancakes and bacon in my kitchen. 

“I love this picture,” I said as I sat down on the stairs to watch them. Then deciding better of it I walked into the living room to grab my camera and returned to my perch on the stairs and began to snap some photos of what was going on in my kitchen. Billy came over to sit next to me.

“You always look so completely ridiculous in the morning. Still beautiful though.” He said with a smile. 

“Oh, you are so...full of shit Billy.” I said laughing as he took the camera from me. 

He pressed the side of his face to mine, almost like he was going to kiss my cheek. But he didn’t. Instead he snapped a picture. 

“None of you shit birds better tell anyone how nice I actually am.” Billy said to the kids. I couldn’t help but laugh. He wanted to pretend like he was some huge asshole that didn’t have a nice bone is his body and no compassion for anyone. While the asshole part was true and no one was denying that he was almost like an asshole with a heart of gold. He loved his sister even if he would never admit it.

After breakfast I took the girls back to Hops cabin where the girls were staying that night. On the way back Billy and I stopped at the grocery store to get us through the rest of the long weekend. During the weekdays Billy was expected at home but on weekends it was best if he made himself as scarce as possible. We were talking up and down the isles putting food in the cart. Billy was terrible about only wanting to buy snacks and never any real food. 

“You’re going to get soft Billy, if you keep eating all those chips.” I said jokingly at him. 

“Well, it wouldn’t be a problem, if you’d let us work out together.” He said leaning on the end of the cart, peering over his sunglasses at me. “You know, it would be the workout of...your life…” I pushed the cart forward quickly, but not hard, playfully shoving him back a little. Well at the time I thought it was playful. But when I heard the low groan and remembered the condition of his stomachs I felt like such an ass. 

“Oh, oh my god. Billy I’m so sorry.” I said wrapping my arms around him straightening up. “I’m such an ass I’m sorry. Let’s go, I think we have enough.” 

When we got back to the house I made Billy sit in the living room while I put away my groceries. He never put them away in the right places and it drove me crazy to have to redo it all over again. After I was done, I went into the living room to curl up next to Billy on the sofa. He put an arm around me as I curled my legs underneath me and covered us in a little throw blanket. 

“I love days like this.” I said quietly. 

“Days like what? When there isn’t fuck all to do in this stupid ass town?” He asked. I could tell that he was on edge. He knew that there was something that the group hadn't been telling him. And I knew he wanted to know but he knew better than to outright ask me. 

“Days where I get to pretend that the whole outside world doesn’t exist. Where you and I get to be next to each other. Days where I feel like, well, happy.” I said back to him. 

“Yeah well, if your so fucking happy, why wont you just be my girl. It would save everyone some heartache. Well everyone except the girls we go to school with. I know you want me doll. I can see it in your eyes.”

“Billy, there’s just so much that you don’t know. About me, about Hawkins, about my group of hooligans. And it's all so complicated, and if you know about it, it puts you in danger.” I said, burrowing my face down into his neck. 

He laid his head on top of mine and said, “You sound like some insane conspiracy theorist. You know that right.” 

I looked up at him and pushed my palm to his face, and he pressed his face back and let his cheek settle in my hand, “Baby, I know, and I promise to tell you. But I just can’t right now. If they were solely my secrets to tell, I’d tell you in a heartbeat. I want you to melt into every aspect of my life. I could truly see myself getting lost in you forever Billy. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. And I know that you believe that.”

“You know, if I didn’t know you, and your reputation at school I wouldn’t. But, I don’t know why you’ve never let anyone close. You have any idea how many of the dudes at school talk about how freaky you are. And how they want to ‘bag the witch’.” He said almost with a tone of disbelief. 

I knew people whispered about me behind my back. It wasn’t a great thing, but no one had any proof of anything they were saying and I hoped to hell that it stayed that way. “Yeah I know what people say about me. They’ve been calling me a witch for as long as I can remember. It doesn’t bother me anymore. You shouldn’t let it bother you either.” 

He rolled his eyes at me, “I could give a shit about that. It wouldn't even surprise me if you were. I’ve never met a girl who could bewitch me, like I’ve let you. But you care. You actually fucking give a shit about me. And you don’t care about hiding that from me. I’ve never had that before. I just want to claim you so douche bags will stop talking about weather or not you have a hairy pussy. Weather or not you can take a dick like a house broke bitch. Hell how the fuck do you think Evan Anderson and Tommy H. Got black eyes last week?” 

“Billy, you beat them up?” I asked trying not to smile. But it did warm my heart a bit to know he was trying to defend me.

“Well fuck, Piper. Yeah I did. Because no matter what anyone else at school fucking thinks, you’re mine. Those assholes at school don’t fucking deserve to be thinking about you that way. You’re better than them. You’re better than me. I don’t know why you give me the fucking time of day. But I’ll take it from you for as long as you’ll let me. And give you pretty much anything in return. Fuck. Nobody has ever done this to me before.” I took this as almost a near declaration of love. 

Billy Hargrove never talked about his feelings. Ever. 

“I have something for you.” I said hopping off the couch and going up to my room. Out of my jewelry box that was on my dresser and pulled out the gift I had made for Billy several days earlier. 

I came back downstairs and Billy was standing in the living room getting a coke out of the fridge. I walked over to him and handed him a little brown sack that was all folded up. “What is it? He asked. 

“Well it's a gift, like I told you. Which means that it's a surprise. Open it and find out.” I said while handing it to him. 

He unwrapped the bag and stuck his hand inside, pulling out the little piece of metal. He looked at me, “Is this…?”

“A key, to the kitchen door. I just thought that it might be easier you know, than having to bang on it until I wake up in the middle of the night. Or if I’m not home and you need something from inside…” I kind of felt stupid now. 

He closed the distance between us and wrapped me into and incredibly tight hug. He pressed his face into my hair. Placing little kisses along my hairline. I looked up to him. He had teared up a little bit and I reached up to wipe his tears, and then to hold his face in my hands. “Billy, I-“ 

He cut me off. “Please let me kiss you?” 

I nodded. And for the first time he gently placed his lips on mine. It was a soft kiss, chaste at first, deepening a little. But careful not to push too far. He tasted sweet, but not like candy. Like fresh dewy fruit, mixed with a little bit of cigarette smoke. And his hands pulled me in close, one at the back of my neck, the other around my waste. When we broke apart, I looked up at him again and said, “You know I love your right, Billy?”

He replied simply, “I know baby. Me too. More than you know.”

I leaned my head into his neck. “Life sucks.” I said all muffled. 

“It doesn’t have too. You could just be my girl. I mean you already are for most intents and purposes. You know, I haven’t been seeing anyone else.” He said stroking my hair. 

“I didn’t ask you to do that.” I said. I didn’t want him feeling like I was depriving him of his normal booze and bitches Hawkins experience. 

“I know you didn’t that’s not the point. I just don’t want to. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t you. But I’m not going to push you about it.” He said. 

“Hey we should go to prom together.” I said. 

“Well yeah.” He said. 

“I’m going to make you dance with me.” I said to him. 

“Well, fuck, yeah I figured. But only if you think you can keep up.” He laughed back at me.


	6. Chapter 6

Monday at school I was putting my books and my jacket into my locker. I saw a shadow came up behind me and I assumed it was Billy because he got so close to me. I said, “You know the rules, Billy. Personal space.” I quickly spun around ready to playfully get into his face. But what I was faced with was not what I was expecting. 

I was nose to nose with that grody Sean Platt. He was in our grade but we hadn’t really spoken since middle school when he put his hands up my skirt and I nearly broke his nose. “Your personal bodyguard isn’t around. Guess you're stuck with me. Do I get the same payment he does? Will you let me sneak into your bed in the middle of the night too?” He asked me. 

I tried to get away but he pinned me up against the lockers behind me, “You’re such a creep Sean. Get the fuck off me.” I said as I tried to push him off of me. Just using my arms it didn’t work. 

“Man, that's a good try sweetheart. But you won’t get me off you so easily.” He said pinning me back even harder.

One of my arms was pinned down at an awkward angle and it was really starting to get painful. I was tempted to use my abilities when from nowhere Sean was body checked into a wall. Once I regained composure and got a better look I saw Billy wailing on Sean. “You. Keep. Your. Fucking. Hands. Off. Her.” 

“Billy!” I yelled trying to pull him off Sean. “Billy! Knock it off!” I grabbed his arm and he looked at me for a second. In that second we made eye contact and he faltered for a second. Then he looked back at Sean, who now had blood pouring out of his nose and it looked like he was going in for another hit. But right before he made contact he stopped, and held his fist there. “Don’t fucking come near either one of us ever again. You hear me? YOU HEAR ME?!” Sean nodded and scrambled away as soon as Billy let go of his shirt. 

I went up to him and reached out for his hand, he snapped it away from me. “Don’t,” he said standoffish. 

“Billy…” I said. 

“No, stop. I’m fucking leaving. And don’t fucking follow me. Because it won't be good for either of us. Understand?” He said. God I’d never heard him so angry before. And especially not at me. I was left standing there with my mouth open like a guppy and the bell ringing signaling the beginning of class. 

The day went by kind of in a haze, at lunch I was sitting with Nancy and Steve and Jonathan. Not the most likely of friends but since we all knew about the strange things that happened around this town we were all bonded. Shared trauma and all that bull, I guess. 

“Piper, we saw Sean in second period…” Nancy began. 

“And what of it?” I said back. 

“Look, we know you’ve been spending a lot of time with Billy. And I just want to make sure you’re ok.” She said. I knew there was real concern there, but it was kind of annoying that my friends didn’t trust me. 

“I understand where you’re coming from. And I appreciate the concern. I really do. But there’s no need for it.” I said, lazily. I could tell I wasn’t going to get them off my back that easily. “Look, ok, he lives next door and my mom is never home. And his dad is...rough…” They all looked shocked but I continued. “He won’t let me tell Hop. It’s a safe place for him. And with everything that goes on in Hawkins, well I figured it was better to keep him occupied. He has an affinity for sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. We’re working on it. And none of you can ever say anything. He doesn’t want anyone to know and I’m not breaking that trust.” I said before grabbing the sandwich I was eating and left the table. I walked out to my car, and contemplating leaving for the day. But decided better of it. When the bell sounded I headed back in for the afternoon sessions and as soon as the day was over I ran to the parking lot and sped away before almost anyone else had left the building yet. I really wasn’t feeling getting more stares and comments from the girls in our grade like from Susie in fifth period, “Gee, I didn’t know you and Billy were an item. You must be really good in bed. He hasn’t had a new flavor of the week in months.” Or from Becky, “Do you let him do kinky shit? That’s the only reason I’ve ever seen a guy so crazy over a freak before.” 

I parked my car in the carport and unlocked my front door and went inside. I left my book bag at the front and went to go upstairs to shower off this messed up day.

“Excuse me young lady,” a very pursed voice came from my kitchen table. 

My blood turned to ice almost instantly. I turned to see my mother. “Mother. I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“Clearly. Would you mind explaining to me why you’re school called me at work this morning?” She asked folding her hand on the table in front of her. “And explain why you were involved in an altercation?” 

“I didn’t have anything to do with it. Some jackass pinned me to a wall and tried to sexually harass me and my friend pulled him off of me.” I said in a monotone voice.

“Would that be the same boy that came by here earlier and let himself into my house?” She asked me raising an eyebrow. 

“Yes. Most likely.” I replied to her. 

“I don’t need to tell you young lady, that this is my house. And I don’t approve of you have a whole bunch of misfit kids in and out of here all the time. This isn’t “Piper’s Halfway House for Wayward Children”. This is MY house.” She started yelling. 

My temper started to rise with hers as well. “Well it's a house you can’t fucking stand to be in more than once a month to pay the bills and make sure I haven’t burned it down.” I yelled back. 

“Do not speak to me in that tone of voice young lady. What would your father say?” She prodded. 

“Don’t you fucking dare. Don’t you dare talk about him. He loved me. And he loved you and he’d be disappointed that you turned into such a frigid bitch.” I was still yelling. 

“Don’t you forget young lady. You have to keep your head down or did you forget what you’ve done. And where I work?” She asked me. 

“Trust me mother. I’ve never forgotten. It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about before I go to sleep. And I could never forget where you work. I have to live with what they did to me EVERY DAY. Every day that I am here alone in this house because you can’t stand to be in it with me. Are you fucking living at the lab these days?” 

“I am still your mother and you are still a child.” She snapped at me. 

“Well my birthday is at the end of next month. So what then? I’ll never see you again? Wouldn’t make much of a difference.” I said not making eye contact.

“When you turn 18 you’ll get access to everything your father left for you. The business will officially be yours, his life insurance payout, the house. So that’s when you’ll be able to say whether or not you want to see me anymore. But until then I still get to have the final word.” She said, again through pursed lips.

“I think I’ll live for two more months. You leaving again?” I scoffed. 

“Yes. I’ll see you at the end of the month.” She said getting up and storming out of the back door. I crumpled onto the stairs and dropped my head into my hands and sobbed. And sobbed and sobbed until I could manage to pull myself up, walk upstairs, strip off my clothes and continued the sobbing. 

The light outside faded gradually and I didn’t move. I didn’t get up to pee or eat or to try and call anyone. I hoped that billy would show up in the middle of the night like he did most nights but when I woke up in the morning I was still alone. 

I called the school and let them know I'd be out for a couple of days and promptly went back to bed. With my head under the pillow I heard the unmistakable roar of Billy’s engine and some muffled yelling I assumed between him and Max. And then eventually it disappeared. I fell back asleep and woke up when I heard someone opening the door downstairs. I couldn’t remember if I locked it or not. I’m sure it was probably just my mother. Especially if the school called her again. I didn’t move when my bedroom door opened and the person sat on my bed. I felt rough hands on my arm. 

“Pipes,” Billy whispered. “Pipes are you ok baby?” 

I peered out from underneath the pillow, looked at him, proceeded to roll over and pulled the blankets back up over my head. I felt him stand up off the bed and walk into the bathroom. I heard the tap for the bathtub turn on, run for a few minutes, then off. Billy came back inside the bedroom and pulled my blankets off me. He lifted me into a basket hold and carried me into the bathroom. I was already naked so that skipped a step and he laid me gently into the tub. The water was warm. And it felt nice to finally feel a bit relaxed. He sat next to the tub and I laid my head on the side of it and he started stroking my hair. I didn’t say a word. I didn’t want to be the first one too. And this shitty week started out with him beating the piss out of some guy. 

“Piper…” he began slowly. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me. I just— that guy, he really pissed me off. And you just looked so helpless, and uncomfortable. It made me snap.” 

“That’s a shitty excuse for an apology Billy.” I said without looking at him. 

“I know, but it's not really something I’ve done before. I just have this need to make sure that your ok, and safe. You know. Like inside the house you do that for me. You make me feel like this shitty town isn’t so bad. Your bed feels like home. And I just, well, we both know who I am, who I was. I don’t really know. But what I’m getting at here is that you do that for me, somewhere that I’ve never been comfortable. You make me feel like it’s ok when I’m vulnerable. And I feel like, in return, I have to be that for you, but just like-“ he gestured to the window, “out there.”

“Ok.” I said. 

“OK?” He sounded unsure. Like he wasn’t expecting things to go that smoothly. 

“Yes, ok.”

“That was easier than I expected.” He said. 

“Well, just so you know for the future, relationships—all types—are usually built on good communication. And while you’re reason doesn’t excuse the violent behavior, which is most likely indicative of other problems that need to be dealt with, it does help me understand why you did it. It wasn’t the right move, however your motivations were good. So its more understandable.” I said using what Billy normally referred to as my school teacher voice. “Will you get in with me?” 

“Yes.” He pulled his shirt off and undid his pants as I shifted myself forward in the tub to make room behind me for Billy. He climbed in and settled with his back again the back of the tub with one leg on either side of me and his arms wrapped protectively around me. 

“I heard you met my mother.” I said leaning back into him. 

“Fuck yeah I did. It was terrible and I’m so fucking happy she’s never here. God babe you should have seen her face when I walked into the kitchen. She scolded me for Christ sake. Fuck, it doesn’t even feel like her house. I’m here way more than she is.” He sort of half laughed half grimaced at the thought of her.   
“When I turn 18, neither of us will ever have to worry about that again.” I said. I decided this was a good time to lead into a bigger conversation. About a lot of things he still didn’t know about me. 

“You planning on moving out right away? I kind of like having you right across the street. It’s easy to get here when I have blood blinding me.”

“No, I won't be moving out. She will be though. Whether she wants to or not. I have kind of a bunch of stuff to tell you.” And then I started. “You know my dad died when I was seven. Well, he left the payout of his life insurance to me, and also the deed to the shop in town, his investments, and the deed to the house. I get full access to my money when I turn 18. My mom hasn’t been allowed to spend any of it the last ten years. Meaning I’m going to come into about two million dollars on my birthday. Well, probably a few days after because lawyers and stuff. And I think my birthday is on a Saturday.” I sort of trailed off. 

“Wow, you could just pick up and leave, if you wanted too.” He said and held me tighter as if I was going to disappear at that moment. 

“I won’t though. The shop is here, and uncle Hop, El, god I just love her so much, and well, what would you do without me? My whole life revolves around this town. So I have to stay here for at least a little while. But that’s not everything I have to tell you.” I said the last sentence more solemnly. 

“You know you can tell me whatever.” 

I was making snap decisions left and right deciding what and what not to tell him. Knowing he’d asked about my number tattoo, and I knew eventually I’d have to tell him about the Hawkins lab. I mean Max knew for Christ sake and she was just a kid. But he already had so much to deal with that I didn’t want to add more to it. “Billy, you know how my dad died when I was seven?” I asked. 

“Yes.” 

“I’ve never said how. Billy, when I was seven I was, well I wasn’t the angel I am now. The day my dad died I was throwing a temper tantrum, about something or other my mother did,” I knew exactly what it was, “Daddy was trying to calm me down but I wasn’t having any of it. And I don’t know how it happened,” another lie, “but I guess I knocked into him and he fell. He hit his head on the corner of the table. And he died. Because of me ...” at this point I was almost sobbing and Billy was just holding me tighter. 

“Baby...you were just a kid. It isn’t your fault.” He said stroking my hair and kissing my shoulders. 

If he only knew. 

I decided that I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. I leaned back into him harder and we sat in the tub until the water wasn’t hot anymore. When I felt the first shiver I got out of the tub and wrapped myself into a fluffy towel and Billy did the same. “Are you hungry?” I asked him after my stomach grumbled for the first time since yesterday. “I think I want pizza.” I said rubbing my belly. 

“Pizza sounds good to me.” He replied. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my neck where it met my shoulders. I closed my eyes and rolled my head backwards onto his shoulder. 

An hour later we were shoveling pizza into our mouths like it was going out of style. Still in fluffy robes from the bath earlier. “I have to head out soon, pick up Max from school and be home for a few hours. You know, pretend like I live there.” He said, sounding just as excited about it as I was excited for him to leave. 

“Sounds about right. You’ll be over for bedtime right?” I asked hopefully. 

“Just like every night.” He replied. 

“I need to run out anyway, I have some errands to do this afternoon.” I said. 

“Errands?” He inquired. 

“You’ll find out later tonight.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I was a week late with this one guys. Hope you enjoy.

It was nearing ten thirty. Billy would be here soon. I’d been getting ready for him to come back for a little while. I took a shower, even though I’d already bathed earlier that day. After I got out I brushed out my hair and threw some loose curls in it. Applied a touch of makeup, mascara and lip gloss. I walked into my closet and opened one of the paper bags I brought home with me from the mall. I put on the lacy Bra and panty set I had bought earlier and over that I slipped on a short black dress with spaghetti straps and a little cardigan. I left myself barefoot and headed downstairs to sit on the couch and watch tv while I waited. 

Neil and Susan usually went to bed around nine and he liked to wait a little longer to sneak out. Just to make sure they were asleep. Not too long after I’d sat down I heard someone on the back porch. Billy came into the kitchen looking like he had no fresh bruises thankfully. And he looked so good in his jeans and a button up with only one button on the bottom done up, showing his abs, pecs, chest hair...all the good stuff. 

“Well damn boo, who you looking so good for?” I joked as I hugged him. 

“Your mom,” he said with a smirk, then he bit his lip and added, “She is here, isn’t she?” 

“Asshole,” I said laughing. 

“It’s why you love me.” He said pulling me close again. 

“And do you still, love me I mean. After what I told you today?” I asked him. 

“Yes. Even though I know there’s more you won't tell me.” He said. 

“In time.” I sighed. “But in the meantime…” I said pulling him toward the stairs. 

“Pipes, what are you doing?” He asked.

I peeled off my cardigan and tossed it playfully at him, “Follow me Billy, you’ll find out.” I said with a wink, and then started bounding up the stairs. It want long before I heard his thundering feet chasing me. I started giggling and he caught up to me at the top of the stairs. He wrapped his arms around me from behind. Tickling my sides and making me giggle more. 

“Ok ok, I surrender, I’m at your mercy,” I pleaded until he stopped. 

Billy pinned me against the wall, I felt a shiver down my spine and a warmth spreading through my core. He got close enough to me to whisper into my ear, “Oh, are you?” He purred quietly to me. 

I took this as my moment of opportunity, I tilted my head up to look into his face, Billy’s head leaning down to be near my ear. I stretched my neck out a little farther and I kissed his neck, and I began to nibble on it, carefully not to leave any marks. 

Billy let out a low moan, almost like a growl and he pressed his body completely against mine, I could feel his body heat, his breath, and the bulge growing in his pants. He kissed my neck, trailing up to my ear and when he got there he whispered, “Don’t start something you can’t finish, princess.”

I pushed the straps of my dress off of my shoulders, letting it fall to the ground, pooling around my feet. Leaving me in nothing but the lingerie I purchased earlier. “Who says I wasn’t planning to finish it.” 

Billy looked me up and down. The look in his eyes, was, for lack of a better word, hungry. Like he’d been starved for months and the only thing that would stave his hunger was me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close to him. He pressed his lips to mine and kissed me forcefully, and a little sloppily but I didn’t mind. As he was kissing me he lifted me off my feet. Instinctively I wrapped my legs around his waist and he carried me into the bedroom. 

He threw me forcefully onto the bed and crawled on top of me. Making his way up my body, planting kisses along each of my legs. Moving painfully slowly, me squirming the entire way. He stopped at my hips and slowly hooked his fingers under the waistband of my panties and slowly pulled them down my legs, caressing my skin with his fingertips, and repeating the same action of kissing his way up my legs. At this point I was starting to get impatient.

“Billy…” I whined, trying to hurry him along. 

“Oh no princess. We’re taking our time tonight. I waited. You’re waiting too.” He had a devilish grin on his face and I knew I was really in for it. He hooked his fingers under the band of my underwear and slid them off my hips and down my legs so slowly I thought I was going to explode. Billy could tell too. I could see it on his face. The looks he was giving me was almost sadistic. And it was hot. 

“Billy…” I whined again. 

His lips curled up into a devious smile. I was turned on and terrified all at the same time. And i knew that was all over my face. “Yes baby? Tell daddy what you want.” 

Fuck. 

“I want...you.” I managed to get out. 

He kept smiling. 

Fuck. 

“How do you want me baby?” He purrs. 

I shook my head. Speaking coherent sentences wasn’t going to be so easy at the moment. My head was fuzzy. In the best way. The air in the room was buzzing, nothing had happened yet. But the anticipation, for both of us, was charging the energy in the room. He wanted to get his hands on me. And god did I want that too. “Touch me daddy.” I whispered to him. 

He did as I asked. Rubbing his hands up my legs, I spread them under his touch. He smiled, “Eager for me baby?” I nodded. 

He leaned down again. Leaning on his elbows, hands filmy gripping my thighs. Thumbs making little circles in the soft flesh. He leaned down and pressed a kiss under my belly button, on the crest of both my hips, inside of each thigh. 

He used a finger first gently rubbing it up my slip. Watching me squirm under him. He smiled at me and began to use more pressure. “So wet for daddy.” 

He rubbed his finger in a circle and then down, pushing one finger inside of me. Slowly. He moves slowly. Easing in, afraid to hurt me. It didn’t hurt though, it felt FULL. I let out a moan. 

“Feel good baby?” Billy purred to me. 

“Yes..” I breathed out. 

“Think you can handle more baby?” 

“Yes.”

Slowly I could feel him adding another finger, stretching me more. “So good baby. You take it so well.”

He leaned down, pressing a kiss to either side of my hips and then leaned even further to do the same to my slip running his warm tongue over my sex and god if I had thought the moments before that were pure extasy, I was mistaken. He had my back arching and my toes curling for what felt like an eternity. I could feel it, the heat building between my legs, not unlike the sensation of stretching a rubber band, the anticipation of the inevitable snap. 

“Billy,” I breathed out. “Billy I’m gonna…”

“Let go baby…” he says quickly, removing his mouth but continuing with his hands, “I got you baby, let go.”

And as if all my body needed were his words of encouragement. It happened hard and fast. Pleasure in shockwaves so strong I felt dizzy. I’d been standing I would have fallen over. I breathed a few seconds while billy crawled up to meet meet my lips with his. The kiss wasn’t a sweet thing. Open mouth, wet and filled with need. Both his and mine. 

“You have to…..let me….do something for you.” I said softly. 

“No, this is all about you baby.” Billy whispered to me. “All about you. Tell me what you want. Wanna make you feel good.” 

“You’re still wearing too many clothes.” I said pulling at the buttons on his shirt. He’d shucked out of his shoes before getting into the bed but was still wearing his button up and his jeans. 

He was off the bed quickly, unbuttoning his pants, pulling a foil packet of the back pocket, sliding them off and shrugging out of his shirt, and getting back into bed all in under thirty seconds. 

“You sure you want to?” He asks. 

I don’t hesitate before saying, “I’m not changing my mind. I only want you.” 

He climbed on top of me, spreading my legs open, reaching down a hand and feeling the slickness and heat between my legs. Spreading it with his fingers. He lined himself up and pushed inside me. I felt full like with his fingers but better. So much better. I wrapped my legs around his hips and he started to move. 

Gently rocking his hips back and forth and it made me let out a groan. Slowly, he started moving quicker, more needy. My own sounds mixing with his. Billy’s more deep, more feral sounding than mine. 

I could feel the sensation building again. The snap becoming inevitable once again. “Billy I’m gonna…” 

“Me to baby.” He grunted. The movements of his hips becoming less rhythmic and more rough as we both reached our climax. 

I was sobbing out his name when I reached my peace and he was grunting into my neck as he finished. I wrapped my arms around him. “I love you.” I whispered. 

“I love you too.”


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning I woke up early. The sky was clear, and the sun was streaming in through the French doors. I’d forgotten to close the curtains. I was incandescently happy. The night before had been perfect and I woke up cozy, in my bed with the boy I loved. Bodies still tangled together. My arms wrapped around Billy and legs piled on top of each other. His back pressed against my chest. Both warm and happy, glowing even. 

I shifted slightly and looked at the alarm clock. Just after five. Billy needed to be getting home before Neil woke up. Reluctantly I gently nudged Billy. “Billy, we have to get up. You need to get home.” 

He rolled over and sleepily mumbled, “I am home.” And wrapped his arms around me tighter. 

“Don’t I wish,” I said nuzzling into his neck, pressing little feathery kisses on it. 

“I should go though. Neil will be up soon. And I don’t feel like getting a black eye today.” He sighed and then climbed out of the bed. I watched him stretch out and then search around for his clothes. I stood up and pulled one of his many t shirts he had left here over my head. 

“You’re beautiful.” He said. 

“Aw thanks babe, so are you.” I joked, scrunching my nose and giggling at him. 

“You riding with us to school today?” He asked me. 

“Well, I guess we should start carpooling now. Since I’m your girl you should start taking me places like I’m a lameass cheerleader whose parents wont buy her a car. Don’t you think?” I joked. 

“My girl? Oh you think just because we finally fucked we’re going to be together? Dang sugar, don’t you know I was pulling a long con on you?” He said in a very joking manor. 

I decided to play along and gave him a little play punch on the shoulder. “I knew you were just another scoundrel Billy.” Then joking aside I said, “I love you, now get your ass across the street.”

He gave me a quick kiss on the lips and said, “Love you too. Ass outside by seven thirty , or we’re leaving you behind.” He said as he ran out the door.

I watched him sprint across the street and quickly climb into the cracked window to his bedroom. My birthday was quickly approaching and while I was thankful that I’d finally be rid of my mother I knew that things were rapidly growing worse over at the Hargrove-Mayfeild house. I was worried for Max, but I knew she had Billy to protect her. But who was going to protect Billy if it wasn’t me? 

At seven twenty sharp I climbed onto the hood of the blue Camero and waited for Billy and Max. I was wearing my usual jeans, chucks, and leather jacket. But my hair was cooperating today so I had it piled into a messy bun at the top of my head. I had a mug of coffee and I quietly sipping it until seven thirty-five when Billy finally barged out of his house with Max trailing behind him. “Seven-thirty sharp I thought you said?” I was joking. 

“Just get in the fucking car so we can go.” He said getting into the driver's seat, slamming his door behind him. 

Fuck. It was going to be a long day. I slid off the hood and opened the passenger door. After Max climbed into the back I pushed the seat up and got in. The door was barley shut before he was speeding off down Cherry Tree Lane. “Christ Billy, are you trying to kill us?!” I yelled at him after we took a corner so fast we practically went up on two wheels. 

“I know what I’m doing. We ain’t dead yet are we?” He asked not taking his eyes off of the road. 

I kept my mouth shut until we got to the parking lot at school. I was the first one out of the car, followed by Max, she said a quick goodbye before she was running off to the junior high. I bent down to look back into the car. He still had his sunglasses on and hadn’t moved since he put the car into park and turned it off. 

“You coming or what?” I asked, not trying to disguise the annoyance in my voice. 

“Yeah I guess. He unbuckled his seat belt and I shut the door and walked over to his side as he was climbing out. 

“You want to tell me what happened in two hours that pissed you off so badly that you won’t even look me in the eye now?” I asked reaching my hand up so that I could brush a curl out of his face. 

He leaned into my palm and sighed. He reached his hand down to grab the hem of his shirt and pulled it up. Underneath along his ribcage were bruises forming under the skin. “Not broken, but they don’t feel good.”

“He— he didn’t catch you this morning…?” I asked. 

“No, I just got a little too mouthy with him at breakfast.” Billy said pulling his shirt back down. 

“Let’s go inside?” I asked him.

He took my face in his hands and kissed me, deep but not too steamy for a high school parking lot. “Yeah we should probably do that.” He wrapped his arm around my neck and shoulders, and I put mine around his middle and we walked into the school like the king and queen of Hawkins. It truly was in the attitude. 

After dropping my stuff off at my locker we were about to part ways until English when I decided to say something, “Billy, you have to do something. Go to Hop, tell a teacher, something. It just keeps getting worse. Billy, he’s going to end up killing you. And then what? What would I do? And Max, you know without you there it wouldn’t be pretty.”

“And what if I did go to Hop? What’s he going to do? Pull me out and stick me in a foster home until im 18? In seven months? And then what, Max gets left there? I don’t think so.” He scoffed. 

“I understand. But we at least should talk to him. Maybe you could get like emancipated or something.” I suggested. 

“I’ll think about it.” Was all he said. “I’ll see you in third period.” He made his way down the hall leaving me by my locker. I got my math notebook out and headed the opposite way down the hall. 

I was sat in my seat when Linda leaned over to me, “Did I see you making out with Billy in the parking lot this morning?”

“We weren’t making out Linda. That’s gross. But yes, we were kissing. What of it?” I asked not looking up from my notes. 

“How’d you manage to tame that beast?” 

I could feel myself rolling my eyes. I knew she was trying to initiate some girl talk, but she was doing a piss poor job of it and was really driving me crazy. Looking back I may have put a little bit too much of my bitch face on, but my reply to her was, “Oh gee, Linda. You really can't tame a man like that, but a sure way to start is definitely not to open your legs the first time they let you into their car.” I winked, then let my face return to its normal resting bitchface and went back to perusing my notes. And she held her mouth open like a guppy until the bell rang to signal the beginning of class. 

In English class later Billy slid in the door just as the bell rang and he quickly sat down next to me. As the teacher was prepping, he whispered to me, “I hear your eviscerating women who ask you about me, princess. I approve.” At the end he added his signature smirk. I was deliberately looking forward and not at him, but I could hear it in his voice. 

“I didn’t eviscerate her. I just, well, I called her a slut. Which she is. I don’t think honesty counts as evisceration do you?” I looked at him, returning his signature smirk. 

“I knew there was something I liked about you Piper,” Billy laughed. Just then the teacher decided to give the two of them a side eye, before starting her lecture on the book they were supposed to be reading for the month. Pride and Prejudice. Predictably on the reading list for this class. But still not what most students wanted to spend their free time reading. Or spend their free time reading, period. I knew Billy wasn't going to read it and that I’d probably have to help him write the paper, if he even decided to do it. Which he probably wouldn’t. My good influences only went so far with Billy. And if the most I could get out of that was him caring about Max, and not killing her friends, then that was what I was going to take. We could figure out the future later. 

Billy walked me down the hall to history after English let out. He tried to kiss me but I pushed him away. In the parking lot I could deal, maybe even the cafeteria, but the kind of people who made out in hallways always made me want to vomit. 

I walked to the cafeteria at lunch with my brown lunch bag and I walked over to the table where I always sat. Nancy was already there with Jonathan, and I could see Steve approaching from the other direction. Surprisingly it was easy for the four of us to be friends. Shared trauma and all. Steve and I always sat across from Nancy and Jonathan at the rectangular shaped table. 

As I sat down Nancy said, “Saw you sucking face in the parking lot this morning.” She smirked and didn’t say anything else. 

I unrolled the top of my lunch bag and pulled up my sandwich. I took a bite before saying, “Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.”

Steve was just sitting down and he added, “Oh so we are going to talk about you and the hot jackass.” 

“Steve,” I said fake shocked. “With that tone you sound jealous. There’s plenty to go around you know. I’d be willing to share.” I added a wink at the end of the sentence as punctuation. 

Jonathan looked up from his lunch tray and said, “That’s unusual. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Hargrove in the lunchroom before.” He pointed behind me and I turned to the back of the room and saw Billy walking toward our table. And I had to concur with Jonathan. The boy with the killer hair and a brown bag lunch that was identical to mine was walking directly toward me and my friends and every eye in the room was on him.  
He stopped at the table and asked, “Can I sit?” 

I nodded and then Steve, who I guess was bumbling about three steps behind the rest of us said, “Hargrove?”

Billy eyed him, and repeated a conversation they had had earlier in the year when Billy wasn’t so nice. “Yeah, Harrington, it’s me. Don’t cream your pants.” 

Steve who had just taken a swig of his juice, choked and some came out his nose. That made everyone laugh and even got a smirk from Billy and a wink to Steve which made me laugh even harder. It seemed that there was maybe even a beginning to a friendship. Billy unrolled the top of his bag and pulled out the sandwich I’d made for him and began eating it as though he had eaten lunch with us every other day besides today. 

“So,” Nancy was the first one to speak, “I don’t think I’ve seen you in the caf before.”

“Well first time for everything I guess. What of it?” He joked. 

“I see your lame catch phrase is catching on Piper.” Nancy laughed. 

“Hey it’s not lame okay. It’s aloof. And that’s why I like it!” We all finished our lunches making small talk. Ten minutes before the bell Billy stood to go outside to smoke (vomit) before afternoon classes. He stood and quickly pressed a kiss to my temple and whispered a goodbye. 

After he was gone everyone stared at me. “Can I help you?” I asked all of them, raising my eyebrow. 

“I mean, we all knew something was going on the last couple months. But who every thought Hargrove could be so soft?” Steve asked almost flabbergasted. 

I chuckled, “Don’t ever let him hear you say that. He’ll be sure to show you just how not soft he claims to be.”

“Claims?” Nancy inquired. “He seems pretty hard to me.”

That got a howl of laughter form Jonathan and he said, “Geez Nance, something you want to tell me?”

I piped in with, “Don’t worry Johnny boy, Billy isn’t into Nancy. Just her mom.”

Again, juice came out of Steve’s nose. And the entire table was basically rolling around on the floor with laughter. And of course the entire cafeteria was glaring at us. But oh god we didn’t care. 

“You guys…” I started. “I think we might need to bring him into the inner circle. It’s not fair that he’s the only one who doesn’t know. And if something happens to him because of ignorance…”

Steve spoke first, “Piper, I don’t think that's a good idea.”

“No, Steve, she’s right. Do you remember when you got pulled into all of this. When you came to find me at Jonathans because you thought we were sneaking around but we were just trying to fight the demogorgon. You almost got killed.” Nancy had a solid argument and Steve couldn’t refute it. 

“Yeah I guess. But you guys did end up sneaking around later.” He sulked into his lunch box.

“Steve!” I scolded him. “So not the point of this freeking conversation.”

“So we all agree then? We ask the kids what they think and then we do it after my birthday?” I asked. 

They all nodded in agreement.


	9. Chapter Nine

The kids were over at my house having their D&D. That’s when I brought up the conversation I had had with the others at lunch that week. Max was the first to agree, no one else wanted me to tell him, but eventually they all agreed having another semi-adult involved in the escapades that our party got into. When it was time for lunch I pulled El into the kitchen with me and asked her alone, “Are you sure that you’re ok with this?”

She nodded, “You’re sure. It’s not just my secret. If you trust him, I do.”

I stayed silent for a minute and continued making the sandwiches. I knew I needed to tell her. The other kids didn’t know anything, El and I kept my secret. But it wasn’t fair. I had this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that something bad was coming our way again. The business with the upside down surely started before our time and would probably continue long after. I knew that I needed to tell her and I figured now would be as good of a time as any. 

I stayed silent, mulling over how I could tell her. She asked me if I could pass her the mustard, and inspiration struck. She wasn’t paying attention as the mustard floated through the air toward her. She absentmindedly grabbed it and started spreading it on the bread. Then she paused, her eyes got wide, she looked up at me. And I started to make the cutlery float around us too as well. She threw the jar of mustard splattering it all over the cupboards and she jumped into my arms. 

“Sister, all better.” She hugged me and laughed. 

“You’re the first person I’ve told. I’ve been practicing. Healing.” I said to her. 

She brushed some hair out of my face, “He helps.” She said smiling. “We have to tell them! Now!” She said jumping down 

“No wait,” I stopped her. “Let me tell Billy first ok?”

She nodded and we went back to making the sandwiches. 

El and Max stayed over for one of our girls nights we were holed up on the couch watching movies and discussing relationships. They were so stinking cute sometimes I couldn’t sand it. None of us were paying attention to the movie, we were all just laughing so hard our sides hurt, and shoveling popcorn into our faces like it was the last we would ever be able to eat for the rest of our lives. 

“....and he was like ‘three inches!! DOOR OPEN THREE INCHES!’ And I freaked out. I just slammed the door.” El was telling a story between breaths. Laughing so hard that tears were streaming down here face. 

“God, I can’t even have Lucas in my house! Neil has no idea about anything going on.” Max was the next one to tell the story. 

“Dude,” I said, “was he like this before your mom married him?”

“No…” Max said. “He was always really sweet. And he took me to do things with my mom. And now...he pretends to be this amazing husband and father. And all he does is take my mom out and about and makes Billy chauffeur me around. Well, and hurt Billy.”

“Bad man,” El said putting her hand over mine and looking at me. I could see in her eyes that she was asking me if I wanted her to do to Neil what she had done to Papa. 

“Bad man,” I agreed. “When Billy turns 18 he has somewhere to go. I just wish it was sooner. He won’t let me say anything to Hopper, if he would we could make a case for emancipation. But he won't.”

“Because of me, right?” Max asked. 

“He’s worried what would happen if he wasn’t there to protect you.” I said. 

“I don’t want him to die because of that. My mom wouldn’t let Neil.” Max tried to assure me. 

“He won’t. We won’t let it happen. I’ll kill Neil myself if I have to.” I reassured her. 

The next day it was Pipers turn to drive the gang to school and was waiting in her impala in the driveway when Billy and Max came out of their house. They slid into the car and they drove off after Piper handed Billy the lunch and a mug of coffee she had for him. She handed Max a lunch bag too. “What are your plans for this afternoon?” She asked Billy. 

Before he answered Max said, we’re going to the movies after school today. Steve is sneaking us in again.”

Billy glared at her in the rear view mirror. He was never really a morning person and today was no exception. “I’m guessing you already have something in mind, so I’m sure whatever I’m planning to do after school is whatever you’re about to tell me I’m doing.” He said monotonously. 

“Aw baby, you are getting smarter and smarter every day. See actually going to class does wonders for you doesn’t it?” I joked. 

“Oh fuck off would you.” He said laughing and took a drink of his coffee. 

“Tell Neil you’re over to work on a project or something.” I told him. He nodded in return and we spent most of the rest of the ride to school in comfortable silence. 

When we arrived to the school parking lot we were earlier than most. Max, of course, barreled out of the car at full speed to run to the middle school building. We sat in the car a little longer before the first bell of the day. I slid over on the bench seat and Billy draped his arm around my shoulders. I nuzzled my face into his neck and he let out a soft moan, “Can’t we just go back to your hose now?” He whined. 

“No can do baby cakes, no school, no reward.” I said winking at him. 

He looked at me, and I knew if he had superpowers that he’d be shooting laser beams at me directly out of his eyes. “Fuck off.”

And with that I quickly hopped out of the car and made my way around to the open window on the passenger side of the car. I leaned down and said, “I love you too!” Gave him a kiss and as I was walking away I yelled, “Make sure you roll up the window and lock my doors!”

His reply was, “Love you!” Which caused a few stares. 

Not going to lie, being in a public relationship with Billy Hargrove was….weird. For lack of a better word. He was known widely as the biggest wommanizer to ever grace the halls of Hawkins High. And he liked the reputation. Every girl in school, regardless if they were seniors or freshman, wanted him. There were even some rumors about Nancy Wheeler’s mom and some of the teachers who wanted to take a bite out of that too. It gave me pride to know that I was the one woman he decided he wanted and I had no fears of him straying. I trusted him completely, which is why I knew the time was right to tell him everything. 

Billy seemed antsy all day. More so than usual. Every time I saw him he was juggling his leg up and down, tapping his pencil on a desk, looking at the clock or chain smoking. Truth be told, I was incredibly antsy too. I had never wanted a school day to end sooner. I didn’t see him at lunch so I figured he’d gone out to the dumpsters in the back of the school to chainsmoke all lunch too. 

I couldn’t have been happier at the last bell. I went to my locker and unpacked all of the stuff I didn’t need to take home. It was getting to that point in the school year where teachers were so tired of grading homework that they weren’t really assigning it anymore. And it honestly didn’t bother me. As much as I did actually enjoy school, I was tired of doing it and honestly didn’t mind the lighter load. 

It was April and the winter snow was finally gone. And while it was still a bit nippy outside, but it wasn't as cold as it had been, and there were blue skies to be seen and the sun was shining. And in the sunlight it was warm. I walked outside, and shrugged into my leather jacket and headed to my car in the parking lot. I unlocked the car got inside. I turned it on and adjusted the heater while I waited for Billy and max.   
Max came first and hopped into the back seat and we waited another ten minutes for her brother. He hopped in the car and not two seconds later he was saying, “Well, let’s go. We’re burning daylight here sugar! We got places to be.”   
I glared at him for half a second before turning the car on and heading out of the now nearly empty parking lot. 

“You’re so incredibly cute when your looking at me and pretending your mad Pipes.” Billy said with his signature smirk and began to chew on his bottom lip. 

“God you two are so gross. I wish we were all still pretending you didn’t want to bone each other.” Max groaned from the backseat. 

After we had gotten back to the house Billy and Max walked to their house across the street and I walked into mine. About twenty minutes later I headed the engine on the Camero rev and then disappear down the street. My assumption was that they’d convinced Neil to let Max go to the arcade and then Billy would be heading over here. I changed out of my school clothes into a pair of comfy shorts an oversized Hawkins High basketball sweatshirt that Billy had left here and I waited. I plopped on the couch and turned the TV on until I could hear him coming back up the street. He pulled directly into the driveway and let himself in through the kitchen. 

“Back here,” I called from the living room. 

A few seconds and a few footsteps later Billy appeared and walked over to sit next to me on the couch. He pulled me in for a kiss and I asked, “What time do you have to pick up Max?”

“She doesn’t have to be home until seven. So we have a couple of hours.” He mused. 

“Right, well, I guess we’ll get started then. Billy, do you remember when I told you that my mom works at the Hawkins National Lab?” I asked him. 

“Yes.” 

“Do you know what they do there?” I asked him. 

He shook his head no. 

“That makes sense, because they try to keep everything there pretty tightly sealed. I have to tell you a little bit about that lab first, before anything else is going to make sense.” He nodded and I kept going. “They do a lot there, everything from nuclear energy testing to coding the human genome. My mother, works in the genetics side. Back around the time that she first started working there, was when she got pregnant with me. So you’ll have to bear with me because this is where it kind of gets a little bit wacky.” I continued. 

After he gave a head nod I continued, “So one of the things that they were working on when I was born and for several years after was genetic mutations of embryos in the womb. Everything from changing their hair color to enchanting their brain function. Then there was a subset of test subjects. Eleven to be specific.” I paused a moment. 

I could see the wheels in his head beginning to turn. “Eleven….” he mused and made eye contact with me. I nodded at him, “The tattoo, on El’s arm, the one we always pretend isn’t there, that's why we call her El, isn’t it?” He asked. “I always just figured her middle name was Elizabeth or something.”

I shook my head and continued. “So, she’s….subject 011...and, Billy, I know you’ve seen it on my arm…” I said as I pulled up the sleeve of my sweater and held out my arm to him. And there it was. Plain as day three little numbers, permanently etched into my skin with black ink 001. 

He’d seen it before but had never really bothered to wonder what they had meant. “So you’re telling me that your mom had you experimented on while she was cooking you?” 

“There’s a reason I don’t like her Billy.” I said solemnly. “The eleven of us, we were practically raised in that god forsaken facility. Some, like El, lived there. Because my mom was a scientist I got to come home at night. El, wasn't so lucky. We were forced to train, to hone the skills that were forced on us. They wanted to use us as weapons. El most of all, she’s by far the strongest. She’s got abilities I could never even dream of. We overlap a bit, but not completely.”

“Powers?” Billy says. 

I nodded. “She and I are both telekinetic. But I’m an empath and she isn’t. And she can...well I guess the easiest way to explain it is she’s like...a human LoJack. She can find anyone, anywhere, anytime. Even if she’s never met them.” I hoped that he was following. 

His face screwed up in a way that made him look like he had a migraine, “No now you’re just fucking with me.” 

I sigh, “I wish I was.”

“Ok well I don’t fucking believe you.” He says and I could see him getting visibly upset. 

“Billy—“

“No, no stop.” He says. He bats my hands away and pushes himself off the couch and says, “If you just wanted to fuck around you could have just said. This has been months of yanking my fucking chain and fucking around with me for no god damned reason.”

I knew he wasn't going to listen to me and I watched him walk away.


	10. Update

Hey everyone, I’m sorry I’ve been away for a while with no warning. I was traveling, and it was my birthday and since getting home work and everything has been insane. Things are getting back to normal now. I’ll be resuming my weekly Wednesday updates next week. I appreciate y’all letting me take a break ❤️


	11. Chapter 10

I was angry, staring at the back of him like that. I stood up off of the couch and followed him into the kitchen. “You don’t get to walk away from this right now.”

He stopped but didn’t turn. “I don’t like being lied too.” 

He opened the kitchen door. 

From behind him I slammed it shut. 

He stopped. 

“Still think I’m lying.” I asked him. 

“What the fuck.” He muttered under his breath. 

“I told you I wasn’t lying.” I said quietly from behind him. 

He spun around to look at me. And I could see the surprise written on his face. “How?”

I rolled my eyes. “If you’d been listening at all—“ 

“Okay. Okay.” He says. 

“There’s more. A lot more.” I sighed. 

“How much is a lot?” He asks. 

“A humanoid venus fly trap type monster who killed several people, mutants alien dogs and evil government scientists?” I asked hesitantly. 

His face looked like I’d made a joke. He was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. “You—you are joking right?” 

“I wish I was.” I said. “Do you want to go sit back down or…?”

He bobbed his head and he walked with me back into the living room. He sits back in the same spot on the couch and waits for me to sit next to him. I gently sat down and as much as I wanted to reach out to him I didn’t. It felt like it would only make things worse. “Have you heard people at school calling Jonathan’s brother, Will, zombie boy?” 

He nods. 

“Last year he went missing. Totally out of the blue. And when he went missing was when we found El. She didn’t talk much, she had a shaved head, and Mike hid her in his basement. When she broke out of the Lab she created a rift.”

“Like between dimensions?” He asked skeptically. 

“Exactly. We’ve been calling it the upside down. Because everything there is identical to here. Except there its all covered in sludge and mold and rot. People don’t live there, Billy. Monsters do.” I took another deep breath and went on to give him detail of everything we’d gone through. Mike losing El, Hopper taking her in, poor sweet Barb. Everything.

“...so this town is way more fucked up than I thought.” Billy says rubbing his face. 

“Tell me about it.” I say leaning my head back onto the sofa. My eyes are closed, but my heart swells when I can feel Billy’s hand take mine. “I thought this was going to be the thing that made you run.”

“Close.” Billy says. “Nothing is scarier than Neil.” 

I take a deep breath. “Move in.”

“What?”

“Move in. I know you won't. But, I want you too.” I said.

“It’s not because I don’t want to. I can’t leave Max.” Billy says. 

“You can’t protect her if you’re dead Billy.” The frustration in my voice is plain in my voice. I know Billy can hear it.

“I’m not going to die.” Billy says carefully. “Neil doesn’t want to go to jail,”

“I just worry. About you, and Max.” I tell him pulling his hand close to my chest. “I worry, because I love you. Both.” 

“We love you too you know.” Billy says pulling his hand from my grasp and cradling my face in it. 

“I know.” I tell him, “That makes it all that much worse.”

I have to blink back tears. My thoughts jumping from one terrible thing to another was almost too much to bear.

“You can’t think like that baby.” Billy says pulling me in close. “We have to much good to look forward too.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” my words are muffled through his shirt. 

“Your birthday, for one thing.” Billy says. “I applied for that job at the pool this summer, and you don’t want to be sad when you think about me in those hot little red shorts. Do you baby?” Billy almost purrs it into my ear.

The way his voice sounds make this hairs on my arms stand on end. In a good way. It creates tingles all the way through my body. I press myself closer and leaned up to whisper, “The only thing I think I’ll like better than seeing them…” As I speak I tuck my hands inside Billy’s shirt and I untuck it from his pants. “Is taking you out of them.” to emphasize the word out I undid the button on his jeans.

Before I have the opportunity to pull them down and expose his hardness to me, Billy snaked his arm around my back and pushed me back into the couch. Billy easily slid the shorts I was wearing down my legs, and his discarded them onto the floor next to us. He uses his shoulders to spread my legs open wide to expose the pulsing heat between my legs. He easily settles himself between them and strokes a finger from the bottom to the top of my slip. 

Like his fingers are a paintbrush and he’s an artist. When he speaks his voice is on the edge of ragged. But he keeps composure and says, “I’m going to bury my face in your sweet pussy and the only think you’re going to remember is my name.” 

And before I get the chance to respond his mouth is pressed to me and his tongue is lapping at me. He’s working skillfully, knowing exactly wear to linger, to suck. And when it feels like it can’t get better, like I’m almost to my edge, he completely stops and watches me come down before he’s at it again. 

He keeps doing it. Again, and again, and again. Tonguing me so close to a peak every time and stopping. Edging me until I’m ragged and sobbing under him. 

“Billy please.” I beg. It’s a drawn out plead. And it sounds absolutely desperate and i can’t find the energy to care. It’s all going towards what Billy’s doing between my legs. 

He fucks his fingers in and out of me with no rhyme or reason to his pace or his rhythm. He pulls his head back to ask, “Do you want to come for daddy babe?” 

“Pleeeaaase.” I whine. Squirming when he curls his finger upward inside of me. The pleasure hits in waves. I’m so close I can feel the orgasm just building, waiting to be released. 

“Please what baby?” Billy leads me to what he’s looking for me to say. 

“Please daddy, let me come. Please.” 

He adds another finger to the two he’s already pumping in and out of me. And with his other hand he massages over my clit. Stimulating on both sides. The fingers inside curling forward in a “come hither” motion ever time they slide all the way in, before he slides them out again. 

“Okay baby, come for daddy. You’ve been so good. Get it all over me baby.” And it’s that encouragement that sends me over the edge and when my orgasm hits it feels like I’ve been hit with a sonar wave. Billy’s works his fingers in and out of me through it making the organs itself last an almost painful amount of time. And the way he moves his fingers makes liquid stream out of me. And the only way I can describe how this feels is sinful. 

The couch, my legs, Billy’s arms, everything is wet. 

“Oh my god. Did I just piss all over you?” Embarrassment is flooding my face until billy answers. 

And laughter is what he answers with. When he settles a little he says, “No baby. I do believe they just call that squirting. And I’ve gotta say. So fucking hot

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I plan to post weekly updates. Always open to feedback, this is the first fic I’m posting publicaly.


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